


The Pinning Game

by Samsara



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Contracts, Dead Best Friends, Demon Summoning, M/M, MatsuHana Week, Mythology - Freeform, Post-Canon, Soul Selling, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 01:55:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4503330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samsara/pseuds/Samsara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hanamaki passed away in an auto wreck, Matsukawa didn't have the chance to mourn him. He was struggling with bills, debt and trying to save a failing business. When he prayed to the gods and summoned a demon the spitting image of Hanamaki instead, Matsukawa was given an offer. For a sliver of his soul every 10000 yen, Not Hanamaki would save his business. If he ended up with half of Matsukawa's soul before the failing businessman canceled the contract his soul would be his to keep. Easy enough.</p><p>But with gods suddenly interested in the demons activity, and with Matsukawa realizing he's still in love with his late best friend, he's starting to wonder...does he even want to cancel his contract and lose Hanamaki forever? Or does he just let fate take him away again?</p><p>(Part of MatsuHana Week!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pinning Game

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY SO THIS SUMMARY DOESN'T DO IT JUSTICE. I'm posting this early because this is a MatsuHana idea I've had since seeing some fanart on Tumblr based on a Vocaloid track involving a money-laundering demon with Matsukawa and Hanamaki as the portraits. This is another multi-chapter fic that will gradually be coming out from me in several parts (aiming for 8 chapters total). So I hope you guys enjoy me doing my take on a demon AU!
> 
> Also last minute warning: Hanamaki is dead. BUT not really. Ohoho.

Matsukawa stared at the empty cup of ramen noodles on his coffee table, one among many that littered his apartment as a bitter reminder of reality. Matsukawa Issei was broke and there was no other way to go about saying that. He had thought by now there would be a little bit of money coming his way, but sadly, that was just a pipedream. Matsukawa had put most of his savings into what he thought was a great opportunity. Fresh out of college, and with student loans to repay he had found a small little shop for sale that he could easily afford out of pocket. What he hadn't accounted for was the cost of maintaining it.

 

Not one to cut his losses too quickly, Matsukawa had decided he was going to force things to work out. With his loans, his apartment utilities and now with the cost of running the shop all piling up, it was only natural that it was dawning on him that he could not afford this. He'd been living on nothing but cup ramen (from his own shop, no less) for the past six weeks and it had made no difference in what he owed for the current month. Sure, he was making money with the convenience store, but it wasn't enough for him to be comfortable. Even after paying rent and deferring his student loans for yet another month, Matsukawa was still owing roughly 45000 yen on a nearly constant basis.

 

He was in a hole, and the more he looked at the state of the shop, the more he concluded that he needed to do more than routine maintenance. Some of the shelves were decrepit, the tiles were dirty and the windows desperately could use replacing as years of tape to advertise sales continued to remain stuck to the windows. Matsukawa was in no position to pay out of pocket for these repairs and the more he dipped into savings, the more he found himself contemplating contacting his parents or taking out a loan. God knows he couldn't afford to pay more back. What's a guy to do?

 

With a sigh, Matsukawa stood up from the floor and began to scoop the empty styrofoam cups into a garbage can. He had something to do. A plan, perhaps. Matsukawa wasn't the best when it came to planning things in advance but he had been mulling over an idea for a few days now. At the very least, he knew he was going to pray for the strength. He hoped the gods would be in his favor and he'd be able to make ends meet.

  


As he brought the bag of garbage out from his apartment, Matsukawa gave a wave to one of his neighbors -- a former rival from high school.  He was an opposition in volleyball, named Tendou Satori. They had been enemies on the court but given the proximity of their apartments, the two adults had become somewhat friendly. Matsukawa lumped the bag of discarded cup ramen into the garbage and peeked over the fence to see the dark, spiked hair of his neighbor peeking over the wood.

 

"Heeeeey, Matsukawa," he greeted with a little wave, and lips pursed into something of a three-shape. "You surviving over there?" It was as if the other male had peered over the fence just to see Matsukawa as he came out.

 

"What do you think?" he asked with a yawn as he placed the lid on top of the can. "I still owe almost fifty thousand yen and I'm cutting into my minimal profits in order to feed myself."

 

"Offer still stands to let you move in here instead, me and Eita are totally cool with a third person if you don't mind our occasional humping!" Tendou's voice cut off into a fit of laughter, holding his gut on the opposite side of the divide before ultimately settling down upon seeing Matsukawa's lack of reaction. "But seriously, we wouldn't mind."

 

"I'm not sure how I feel about moving in with a couple." Matsukawa shrugged, his voice flat. "Kind of awkward since --"

 

"We're not a couple." Tendou quickly interrupted, his brows furrowed. "We're platonic fuck buddies."

 

"Sure, keep telling yourselves that." Matsukawa said, another yawn slipping free as he started to part from the alleyway toward the street. "But you catch my drift, not really up for living with people who have a thing going on."

 

And with a "Suit yourself!" from Tendou and a wave from Matsukawa, he was out on the street.

* * *

 

Two years earlier, at the age of twenty, Matsukawa's long time best friend, Hanamaki Takahiro had been killed in an automobile accident on his way to school. He'd been attending school in Tokyo and in a frantic rush to make it to his class on time, he risked sprinting across the street with only three seconds left on the crosswalk. He made it to the other side, but as fate would have it, a car veered off the road and crashed into Hanamaki, pinning him to a telephone pole. Fate was an asshole, and Matsukawa still hadn't recovered.

 

He and Hanamaki had been in the middle of figuring out if they were a thing when the accident happened. Matsukawa had been in school himself back home when it all happened and thought they had been best friends and nearly lovers, he never had had the chance to truly mourn for Hanamaki. Then, when college was over, he was instantly swept into the reality of having to find himself a job, an apartment. He was too busy starting his life to mourn.

 

It didn't mean he didn't lie awake most nights thinking of what could have been. He had never had the chance to really date after Hanamaki's passing, and he'd never felt the desire to get close to someone like he had been. He and Hanamaki had been friends nearly their entire life, and replacing that wasn't an easy process.

 

While Matsukawa began ascending the stairs to the shrine by his apartment he found himself already praying for the soul of his lost friend. He hoped that if he hadn't re-entered the cycle just yet, he was at least at peace watching Matsukawa. His lips tugged into a slight smirk, apologizing a bit humorously to his old friend for being so stupid with his money, promising softly that he'd make sure things would get better.

 

The shrine by his apartment was mostly unused this time of year. The part of town in which Matsukawa lived was filled primarily with either young professionals or students attempting to become such. Only when finals came around did the shrine seem to come to life, and the shrine genuinely felt welcoming. As Matsukawa stepped along the walkway to the main shrine, he fished out the last solid bill he had on him and placed it in the offering box as an act of good faith.

 

Matsukawa had never been a religious man. He prayed only in times of struggle. And this was entirely a time of struggle. With his eyes closed, he clapped his hands together in silent contemplation. He was desperate. He needed help. He needed the gods to assist him. As he prayed a small gust picked up and he could feel the wind fluttering through his hair. It was warm, despite it being early November, and it was almost comforting. It was as if the gods were giving him a ruffle of his hair reassuring him with a "Don't worry, Issei. We've got your back."

 

His lips pulled into a smile and his hands relaxed, feeling a weight being pulled free from him. It was soothing, and he felt almost put at ease now that he had prayed. So with his eyes opening he decided everything would be okay.

 

Of course, that would have been the case if he wasn't absolutely positive that Hanamaki was sitting on top of the offering box, a brow raised and a smirk sewn on to his face. A slight scream escaped the normally silent Matsukawa causing him to jerk back almost violently, arms raised defensively. Color drained away from him as he took a few steps back, watching as the person who was certainly not Hanamaki gave him a slight wave.

 

"Whoa, whoa, settle. Settle." Not-Hanamaki said with a chuckle, crossing one leg over the other, hands resting on either side of the offering box. "I'm not that dead friend of yours, I just took the appearance that you'd like best."

 

A. . .A god?

 

Matsukawa relaxed slightly, still feeling his heart racing from the shock. Hanamaki had been dead for two years so it was only natural that Matsukawa react violently. His breath shuddered as he exhaled, trying to keep himself composed in regards to the deity in front of him, fingers drumming on the offering box.

 

"So you chose to be my dead best friend?!" Matsukawa nearly shouted. "What sort of fucking god are you?! That's sadistic!"

 

With a hand lifted, Not-Hanamaki pointed at himself, looking around as if he were looking around for another figure other than himself. "...Oh, he's dead? That sucks. But uh," He grinned, and as he did so his mouth revealed rows upon rows of unnaturally pointed teeth. "I ain't no god. Sorry to break it to ya, but this shrines been empty for...I-Dee-Kay.  Fifty years? It's vacant, aside for me."

 

Not . . .a god. So what was he? Matsukawa didn't have a good feeling about it, especially given the look of the teeth he saw the other tonguing at slightly. He was relaxing far too much for Matsukawa's liking and the more he watched, the more Matsukawa felt as if he'd just made a grave mistake. If he hadn't been praying to a god, who had he been praying to?

 

"So, you are --?" he croaked out quickly being interrupted.

 

"A demon, hey, nice to meetcha." Not-Hanamaki said extending his hand out in a greeting, aiming to shake Matsukawa's hand. He was hesitant, he knew better than to shake hands with a demon. They would often do something sneaky or tricky to make a simple handshake something much worse. "Can't tell you my name, because I really would hate to be banished and leave you all alone with your little money problem but I will let ya call me by the name of this dead friend of yours if it makes you feel any better."

 

So, he was absolutely right. A god hadn't heard his prayer, but instead a demon had and that was why he was looking at Hanamaki Takahiro sitting on an offering box. "No, it doesn't make me feel any better," Matsukawa spat rather grumpily as he took another step back. "I came here with a legitimate concern and I need the gods to hear me, not a fuckin' demon."

 

"Aww, cute you're angry." the demon said with a hum, laughing into his hand. "Come on, what's his name? I'm getting a flower-something. Am I right? Hana---what?"

 

"Maki." Matsukawa said, completing the name. "Hanamaki, alright?"

 

"Cool, that's my name now, hope you don't mind."

 

"I mind."

 

"Ah, you won't for long." Not-Hanamki said as he slipped off the offering box, taking a few steps toward Matsukawa, grinning casually as he closed the space between them. "Listen, just 'cause the gods didn't hear your prayer, doesn't mean I can't help you. Just 'cause demons heard your prayers doesn't mean that you're not going to get some help."

 

"I'm not making a deal with a demon." Matsukawa was quick to react withdrawing a little further before the demon crossed his arms over his chest, frowning faintly.

 

"Come on, you want out of debt or what? The way you've been going about living your life, you won't be out of debt until your grandchildren are in their eighties." He scoffed. "Hear me out, fluffy, I think I got something you might like. Something you can get out of. Scouts honor."

 

"That's rich -- wait, fluffy?" He narrowed his eyes, neck jerking faintly.

 

Not-Hanamaki decided to ignore the clear discomfort from Matsukawa and flipped a hand through his dark hair. "Your hair. Looks fluffy -- and it is." He chuckled a bit, glad to know that even with Matsukawa's apprehension, he got in closer to him. "But seriously. I got something that can help you with your problems."

 

Frankly, Matsukawa was dubious. He knew that demons were not to be trifled with, and especially in this situation. With a demon in the form of his best friend and offering to make a deal with him, it could only spell out disaster. With a roll of his eyes, Matsukawa gestured faintly.

 

"Fine,  go ahead." He sighed. "Go ahead. Tell me. What's the deal you've got for me."

 

Not-Hanamaki laughed rather suddenly, his hands clapping together and pulling apart to reveal a scroll which he unfurled. "Holy crap, you're going to hear me out, alright, alright--!" With the scroll opened, he began to read, eyes occasionally darting over the top to look at Matsukawa with a smirk. "Right, so. I'll bless you and give that little shop you own the ability to turn a nice profit every week. For every, let's say, ten thousand yen, I take a little snippet of your soul." Matsukawa quickly opened his mouth to protest but Not-Hanamaki lifted his hand from the scroll, flicking his index finger with some sort of magic to shut Matsukawa's mouth. "Hang on. I won't know how much I take of your soul, just a little piece every time, but who knows how many pieces a soul's even made up of. Maybe it’s three, maybe it's eighty, who knows. Right, anways." He scanned over the scroll a bit more. "So, here's where it works out for you. You can cancel the contract at any time. If you happen to cancel the contract before I have half your soul, you keep the blessing on your business and your soul. Cool right?" Matsukawa, now able to open his mouth again began to open it to speak once more. "Buuuuut, if you cancel it after I have half your soul, your soul's mine to keep."

 

"And how would I know you wouldn't back out on the deal?" Matsukawa snorted. "Besides, can't I just ask how much of my soul you have?"

 

"Nah, contracts showing neither of us know how much I have at any given time. So I say it's pretty fair." Not-Hanamaki smirked, handing the scroll over to Matsukawa to let him review it. "Go ahead, read it over. Demons might be assholes but we're not the type to screw with deals. We win or we lose, there's no cheating. At least for me."

 

"And I can cancel at any time?"

 

Not-Hanamaki shrugged and laughed. "I'm gonna ask one more thing, just for my sake -- call me your dead friends name. It's cute. I like it."

 

Matsukawa gave another roll of his eyes and pressed his hand to his face with a faint nod. "Alright. I'll do it. The cancellation offer is too good to pass up, even loan sharks don't do that."

And so Not-Hanamaki, or in this case, just Hanamaki, put his arm around Matsukawa's shoulder and grinned, showing off the rows of teeth again, laughing faintly. "Oh, man. You are in for a treat." He stuck his tongue out, revealing a little circle in the center of his tongue appearing almost like a tongue ring. "You know, you really should suppress your attraction to that dead best friend of yours a lot better because this is going to end up being fun for you."

 

"What do you me--"

 

He rest a hand upon the side of Matsukawa's face, dragging nails gently over his jawline. Scraping along the scuff that dotted over Matsukawa's cheeks and chim, his thumb trailed over his lips, pushing them apart sloppily to turn his head to the side. Hanamaki thrust his body up close against Matsukawa the hand dropping to his collar where he gripped firmly. Before Matsukawa could object, his mouth was occupied, the demon Hanamaki having crammed their mouths together in a sloppy, unceremonious kiss with his tongue aggressively thrusting into his mouth. Wriggling it about messily, it slipped beneath Matsukawa's truly gaining his attention as something sharp pricked against the underside.

 

And like that, the kiss ended and Hanamaki stood back, tongue still sticking outward. From the piercing like bead in his tongue, a small spike coated in red closed down into his tongue again. "Right, so. Contracts sealed." He licked at his lips, examining Matsukawa's poise post contract.

 

He had frozen in place, his entire face glowing pink from embarrassment. The last time he'd had someone put their tongue in his mouth, well, two years prior was all he needed to tell himself. With a hand covering his mouth, Matsukawa's gaze alternated between Hanamaki at the floor, seeming to be at a loss for words.

 

Hanamaki laughed and put his arm around Matsukawa's shoulder, his lips close to the human's ear. "You're interesting," he purred lowly. "I can't wait to see if this breaks you."

  



End file.
